GratefulHeart

OOPS! Should have mentioned soda that's gone flat...not bubbly soda. Sorry about that!

So far the Bariatric Advantage protein is the best I've seen for nutritional value. One serving appears to give you half the nutrients you need for the day. So it follows that another serving would give you the rest. It's not as sweet tasting as some of the other brands. I found Wellements brand on Amazon.com for a very cheap price and it tastes really good. I've only purchased vanilla, and have been adding flavorings (like real frozen strawberries, bananas, etc.) to make them "special." I've also used diet soda as the base for the shake instead of milk, so you can make an "orange cream" shake using diet orange soda instead of milk, or a "root beer float" using diet root beer, etc. But if you're looking for the nutritional value, Bariatric Advantage is probably the best and the vanilla (the only one I've tried) is good. It's more expensive, but if you don't have to supplement with vitamins, you know what you're getting and it's a good product. Yummy!

The shoulder pain is from leftover gas that the surgeon used to "blow a balloon" in my body cavity so he could see to work better. That's a characteristic of all laparascopic surgeries, I believe. I had a similar thing happen when I was in my 20s for a different kind of surgery. It's dissipating some, though it's now moving around to other areas in my chest. But it doesn't hurt as bad. Just have to wait it out. As far as the diet after the two weeks, every surgeon is different, and I suspect every patient is different depending on their particular situation. I'm on Protein shakes for three weeks, then soft foods. I can supplement with soft vegetables (nothing stringy or hard to digest). Have had a hard time drinking all the protein; I'm just not hungry and I get full much sooner than I used to. So I haven't had anything but the Protein shakes. So far, so good!

Today's surgery is over! I've been home for about 5 hours, sleeping most of the time. I do have gas pain in my shoulders that is not fun. But the GREAT news is that the other weird symptoms I've been having for months are gone. They were evidently caused by the huge hiatal hernia I had. Dr. Owens did a stupendous job. The five incisions all appear to be minor, and they really don't even hurt. I'm a little drowsy still from the Vicodin but other than that it's going very well. Everyone at Rancho Specialty Hospital was very nice, helpful, and attentive. My goodness, if I ever had to have surgery again (hopefully not) I'd want to have a team just like them. I'm on Clear liquids for a few days - not too bad because I'm honestly not hungry. My mouth is so dry though. Maybe I should chew on some ice. Nothing else has helped. But even that's not bad. Just wanted to report that all went well!:tongue2:

I just had my surgery yesterday too. For me, I actually felt better after surgery than before because I had a HUGE hiatal hernia that had been causing me problems for a couple of months. All those symptoms have disappeared. I am experiencing some gas pain in my left shoulder, though, but if I keep moving (walk, walk, walk) it's not so bad. Plus I have a heating pad on it when I'm just sitting. The rest of the surgery effects are quite minor. I also have a tiny sore throat, but that's from the tube. None of my incisions hurt unless I push on them accidentally, but even then it's not bad. If it weren't for my shoulder pain and the lack of being hungry (and therefore energetic), I'd go back to work tomorrow. :grouphug: But then I just have a desk job. The small amount of pain that you MIGHT feel after the surgery is minor compared to the benefits you'll gain from going through the weight loss process. Take heart - it's worth it!

hehehe I don't think I could lift a pumpkin right now...but yes! I'm a smashing pumpkin1

I'm very excited, a little apprehensive, and so grateful to have a date. It's this coming Monday, at Rancho Specialty Hospital in Rancho Cucamonga, California, by Dr. Owens. I don't know if I'm happier about the band or if I'm happier to have my huge hiatal hernia fixed. I've been feeling awful for a couple of months, all associated with my stomach. (Didn't keep me from eating ice cream, though.) Been on a pre-op diet for a couple of weeks hoping that the surgery would be this Monday, and have lost some weight. I didn't keep track of how much I weighed when I started the pre-op, but I'm thinking I've lost about 20 pounds total since I started this journey. Anyway, YAAYYY!!!!!! I'll be an October Bandster!

Thanks to everyone! I'm feeling good today, still have gas pains in my shoulders, and yes, I will walk walk walk walk. My bedroom is upstairs (as is the room the computer) and the kitchen is downstairs. Hubby is taking good care of me too. The thing I'm so happy about is that the hernia symptoms are gone and I feel so wonderfully normal. It must have had my stomach really twisted. And I only gained a pound since yesterday; I expected it to be more. So now it's off to make something nutritious...thanks to everyone for your kind comments and advice!

Oh, maybe Band of Hope, Banded Together, Lap of Life, just off the top of my head. If I come up with anything stunning, I'll add to the thread. :Dancing_biggrin: I do like the first one that someone else posted as well.

Isn't it kind of the consistency of a pate or even peanut butter? It's not liquid but kind of a meat paste. Like liverwurst. I haven't been there yet, just guessing.

I don't know if it's something special about Lap Band surgery...I had foot surgery in April (5.5 hours in surgery, 4 months in recovery at home), and didn't notice any hair loss at all. Perhaps it's because Lap Band surgery is at the core of the body, not an extremity like my foot, I don't know. I know I gained 20 pounds just sitting around for 4 months! That part wasn't fun. But I'm having the Lap Band this Monday, the 20th, at 8am. I think I'm looking forward to it...more looking forward to it being done and getting on with my life. Anyway, if I notice thinning hair, I'll post it as an effect of the surgery. A little bit of thinning hair is a small loss compared to the thinning of the body and improvement in health in general, though. :w00t:

I always wondered about that, because I was just over 40 BMI when I first started the process. I have lost enough to be below 40 BMI now, but the insurance didn't ask for my weight again - just the first evaluation with the surgeon. I was just approved yesterday and surgery is Monday. I had the surgery tentatively scheduled for Monday about a week ago, and my surgeon's office had been talking with my insurance folks all along the way. I guess it just depends on what your insurance requires. I would be cautious, though, just like the other posters have said. So much seems to depend on the whims of the insurance companies and the specific plans each of us has.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm not really sure. I believe it's the Lap Band but never really asked my surgeon. I've only seen him once, as he's a 1.5 hour drive away (only 30 miles, but this is L.A.). It never actually occurred to me to ask what type of band it is. I'm sure I'll find out though. :smile: I'll try to remember to reply again when I find out. Thanks!

Looks like they have an online store too. What are your favorites? Is what they have online the same? Vitamins, Nutritional Health supplements & Herbal Remedies - VitaminShoppe.com

Wow, I'm sorry you had so many problems with fills! Where are you in Southern California? I am in the Los Angeles area and am seeing Dr. Milton Owens at Coastal Center for Obesity. He's been doing bariatric surgery since 1987, Lap Band since 2001. He seems very open to giving the right care, and my PCP highly recommends him. Just a thought...

Really? The Wii Fit is a good exercise machine? I wonder if it has a weight limit...right now I'm at about 250. Did you try it out before you got it? If so, how? Thanks!

I'm thinking that since my doctor has done thousands of these surgeries and has dealt with tons of insurance companies, he probably wouldn't schedule a surgery if he wasn't fairly sure it would happen. I still haven't joined the October forum yet, though, just in case (wouldn't want to join both October and November forums!). I talked to my insurance company a couple of times, and they explained to me that it is indeed covered, and that I just need to get some preliminary paperwork done. I just have one more document to file, while I'll call about tomorrow when my regular doctor is in, and hopefully will be done. My surgeon's assistant said that they usually get approval the same day, sometimes two days at the most. So I'm thinking it's a fairly sure thing. Mine is October 20, just a week from tomorrow. Let us know how it goes!

Yep, I agree, the strict doctors seem to have lots of success. I'm on my pre-op liquid diet (3 Protein shakes/day plus one extra if I need it, V8 juice, that's about it). Then I think I'll be on clear liquids for a couple of days to a week (can't remember exactly which), another 2 to 4 weeks of Protein shakes, on to mushies, and then finally real food. He's been doing bariatric surgery since 1987 and has done 1000s of Lap Bands. Before he did bariatric surgery he specialized in stomach surgeries and issues. My regular doctor referrred me to him, and said this surgeon has had the fewest complications of any he's ever referred people to. SO - whatever the doctor says works for me. I've actually done okay, since I've been drinking protein shakes for Breakfast for a couple of weeks anyway (just to get used to them) before starting the pre-op diet. I didn't get my surgery date until two days ago, and the date is now only 8 days away (still to be verified, but 90% sure). The weight loss has been great and surprising. Never thought I could feel good on just protein shakes and vegetables but so far, so good! My surgeon has recipes for how to make protein shakes more interesting, and I've tried some - they're not bad! Surprised me to try diet orange soda with Protein powder and ice, and that it was actually good, like an old 50/50 popsicle. Anyway, the experience so far has been good. I was basically scared by a high blood pressure reading to finally get this whole thing started, so staying alive keeps me motivated. :crying: Hang in there and rest in the fact that your surgeon very likely knows what will work best for you personally and is recommending a strict diet to set you up for success!

Welcome! I am not that far from Orange - I live in Rowland Heights, which is just north of Brea. I'm glad this has gone so well for you so far! Who is your surgeon? Anyway, my BMI is 40 and my insurance will very likely approve. I talked to them a couple of times last week, and all I need is one more document submitted, which they will get on Monday. I would expect approval shortly after that, like within the same day. It all depends on your insurance company, what is in the policy (e.g., what your company paid for when they set up the insurance), etc. Insurance companies are funny - I know someone whose BMI is over 40 and his regular doctor wouldn't refer him for surgery because he's not overweight enough. He is at least 100 pounds overweight, so I don't know what his doctor is thinking. Anyway, I think his situation is very unusual - 99.999% of doctors would refer him, unless they're getting incentives from the insurance company not to for some reason. So I'm hoping he'll change doctors! Anyway, there are lots of stories here about insurance and hoops people had to jump through. It just all seems to depend on what your specific policy covers and what your company paid for in the policy.

Greetings everyone! I just heard from my surgeon's office this morning that my insurance is requiring me to attend a support group meeting, which I understand......but also to get a consultation from an Exercise Consultant? Hmmm? What's that? Even my surgeon's office said that's a new one, they haven't ever had to do that one before. I have Definity Health, which is really a United Healthcare program. The insurance is usually really good. But an Exercise Consultant? Anyone heard of that or had to do that? We don't even know what form to fill out! It appears that those are the only two hoops I still need to jump through. I had my Upper GI this morning. It wasn't bad at all! The radiologist technician and radiologist were both very good, fun to work with, and the barium drink wasn't awful. The crystals were weird. But the radiologist asked me two strange questions: Have you had surgery before? I answered that I had a hysterectomy 22 years ago, but he said that's not what he was seeing. Another hmmmm... Then he asked about the endoscopy I had a little over a year ago, whether the hiatal hernia was the only thing they found then. I answered that it was, and he gave me a funny look that made me think there was more there. Hmmmm again. He said he would write it up and fax it to my doctor by noon, and I could talk to my doctor about the results. He left so fast I didn't get a chance to ask him what he saw. Maybe they don't talk about what they see; instead they want your surgeon to do that. But my surgeon's office said he was doing surgery all day today and wouldn't have a chance to look at it until later. I don't know if that meant later today, tomorrow, or what. So it's now almost 7pm and I haven't heard a thing. I'm on pins and needles waiting to see if there's something weird inside. I wish those radiologists wouldn't drop hints like that. My imagination can make up all kinds of things! With all that said, I have calmed myself down enough to realize that if there's something really awful going on, surely my doctor will call me as soon as he sees it. No news is good news, right? Anyway, I'll try to update this thread when I hear if there's anything going on. But hopefully not and I'll be able to proceed as planned. I know I have a very large hiatal hernia, and both the radiologist and technician confirmed that they saw that. So we'll just wait and see..... Anyway, if anyone has ever had to do an exercise consultation, can you let me know? Many thanks! :thumbup:

Don't the vitamin water drinks have a lot of sugar? I've never had one, so I could be wrong, but it seems to me that you might be unwittingly sabotaging your success with these. Just a thought...

I have already told my boss that I'm going to have my hiatal hernia fixed. For me, though, it is a true statement because I have a hernia that is huge and is just about wrapping around my esophagus (ewww). I just will happen to be having the lapband placed at the same time. I don't know if you have a hernia or some other explanation for minor surgery (compared to gastric bypass, for example), but I sure wouldn't lie. I'm just not going to tell the whole story unless someone asks me directly. At that point, for me it would be lying if someone asked me directly if I had lapband and I said I hadn't. But since your surgery probably will interfere with your job to a degree, you could probably tell your boss and ask to keep it confidential. Isn't it a breach of some kind for an employer to share something that you want confidential, especially the nature of surgery? I don't know, just a possibility....

My husband asked me that the other day - how long do you have to wait after banding before you can safely have sex? Until you feel like it's okay?

Your poor husband is obviously clueless about what you're going through. I wish I could say I have gone through what you are going through now, but I haven't started the liquid diet process yet. I will be soon, though. With that said, all I can think of doing is to remove yourself from the situation. If he brings a plate of your favorite food in, go do something else until the food is gone. He may finally get the message that you're serious about this and he needs to be supportive. If you're not focusing on the food, but on something else (and that might take a LOT of effort), then it will be easier not to stress out on what you can't have, but on what you're going to gain by doing this liquid diet thing. This is the first step toward a new life for both you and your husband, so go find something to do that you really enjoy doing, that isn't focused on food. You may have to do this on many occasions! At least I've found that for me, finding something else to do or think about really helps. You can do this - it's your turn now for success!

Doesn't sound weird at all. As I've "walked" through the struggles of weight loss, I haven't found anything that truly worked for me. When I saw/heard about Lap Band, I began checking, and slowly but surely, I felt that I was led, or that the doors were opened, for this to happen for me. My sister-in-law happened upon it the same way, and she is also in the process of getting approvals and finding the right people to be on her team. It truly is a team effort, I believe, held together by the common thread of God working through everyone's hands and hearts. And yes, for some reason, when it's the right thing to do, it's often easier to start falling into line, doing the right thing (like eating the right stuff and not overeating). Enjoy the ride, the anticipation, and the TEAM!